OpenAI is striving to prevent other companies from using the abbreviation GPT since the launch of ChatGPT for the first time in November 2022.
ChatGPT, a chatbot, has captured the world’s attention towards technology and triggered concerns about the AI arms race.
The company’s request to obtain trademark rights for the abbreviation GPT was rejected by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
The recent rejection from the US Patent and Trademark Office, in its final decision issued last week, pointed to its denial of OpenAI’s request to trademark the abbreviation GPT. This was because the abbreviation was merely descriptive and did not specify any details about a feature or characteristic of the company’s product.
GPT stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer, which is a collection of neural network models capable of creating text and images in a way that simulates human thinking.
OpenAI had been challenging the affirmation of the US Patent and Trademark Office that the abbreviation GPT was merely descriptive for several months.
In November, they argued that it was unlikely for the average person to be aware that the GPT abbreviation stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer.
OpenAI’s attorneys claimed that this wording uses specialized terms in the field of artificial intelligence that are not understandable by the average person. They pointed out that if an individual were to ask about the meaning of GPT on the street, the majority would not realize that this abbreviation means “Generative Pre-trained Transformer.”
The US Patent and Trademark Office rejected this argument, stating in its decision in February that many consumers now clearly associate GPT with certain products and technologies.
The US Patent and Trademark Office indicated that consumers’ lack of knowledge of the key terms of the abbreviation does not affect the fact that interested buyers have become accustomed to using the term GPT while referring to a specific type of AI-powered software for question and answer.
The US Copyright and Trademark Office went on to reject OpenAI’s request to prevent the company from hindering competition in its sector and preventing it from filing lawsuits regarding trademark violations.
It stated that companies and competitors should have complete freedom in using descriptive language when advertising their products and services to the public.
This is the second time that the US Patent and Trademark Office has rejected OpenAI’s application to register the GPT trademark.
The US Patent and Trademark Office rejected the company’s request in May 2023.
This rejection is not the end of the road, as OpenAI can request a review of the decision from the US Patent and Trademark Office or lodge an appeal to the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.